|
The sound and face Asher pulls in the comedy meeting sticks in the mind like the demonic face that flashes in The Exorcist. The horror of this character is seeing bits of yourself in him.
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 10:56
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 2, 2024 00:01 |
|
|
What was up with Asher's palm? Is he getting some stigmata?
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 15:45
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 15:48
|
|
|
Open Source Idiom posted:Yeah, I can sense a slight improv vibe, where the actors have been allowed to workshop the scenes for a bit before shooting. I definitely get Tim & Eric vibes from the supporting cast.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 16:03
|
|
|
apophenium posted:What was up with Asher's palm? Is he getting some stigmata? He had all those nails in his hand
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 16:11
|
|
|
DoctorWhat posted:He had all those nails in his hand Oh yeah I forgot about that 
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 16:45
|
|
|
Honestly not a single scene feels improv to me. In general there’s usually way less improv on shows than people think.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 16:58
|
|
|
every episode of the show feels like its building up to something that never happens and just resets next week. very uncomfortable
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 17:01
|
|
|
The Dave posted:Honestly not a single scene feels improv to me. In general there’s usually way less improv on shows than people think. I agree. I think people want to believe that there is an element of NFY in here, but this feels like a normal, scripted show to me, and it might be difficult for some of Nathan fans to accept that this is a different kind of venture for him.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 17:14
|
|
|
mistermojo posted:every episode of the show feels like its building up to something that never happens and just resets next week This explains it! This is what I find hasn't worked for me about the show. A bunch of parts that feel discarded after each episode and any actual tension and build-up gets discarded along with it. It feels like I am watching each episode almost as a standalone experiment (with a loosely overarching continuity) which hasn't quite figured out which parts of the whole it wants to latch onto .
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 17:17
|
|
|
fawning deference posted:I agree. I think people want to believe that there is an element of NFY in here, but this feels like a normal, scripted show to me, and it might be difficult for some of Nathan fans to accept that this is a different kind of venture for him. The reality is that no one is 100% going to know without the creators explicit confirming it, so it's not fair to assume anyone else is wrong. I have a slew of reasons I think there's quite a bit of improv in there based off watching pretty much everything the guy has done multiple times. Still, I can't say for sure though and neither can anyone else itt.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 17:21
|
|
|
apophenium posted:What was up with Asher's palm? Is he getting some stigmata? it’s a martyr’s injury he’s contemplating as whitney accuses him of not being able to do anything good without her telling him to, that he suffered while he was trying to do something good (still ultimately profit-motivated) in fixing up abshir’s family’s living situation. I love how much whitney has come into her own after the midpoint of the show. stone’s physicality as she was buying the minigolf native is perfect, from the giddy walk she does after paying to the manic grooving in the car to robyn another stray thought: beyond all of the recontextualization happening (the structure, the turkey) cara’s performance art is informed by her lived experience with her roommate. just because it’s in front of you doesn’t mean you’re allowed to eat it
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 18:01
|
|
|
I think the reason that a lot of it feels like improv or NFY is that they're doing the sort of "structured realism" thing that Chloé Zhao does where everyone except for the handful of professional actors in main roles are regular people off the streets with no acting experience. So it gives it a pseudo-documentary feeling because minor characters' "bad" acting comes off as a lot more genuine. I don't think they're actually pranking anybody at any point. edit: maybe "bad acting" isn't the right term. amateur maybe? discoukulele fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Dec 25, 2023 |
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 20:40
|
|
|
I think there just non famous actors, I was clicking through the names that show up on google and they all have acting experience, just not very much. Doing that made me remember the call back to NFY and Simon See's. Gotta keep that industry cred in the forefront. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvrcHpipzmA&t=18s Edit: Simon See's not Says!
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 20:57
|
|
|
The Safdies also like to cast non-actors in their movies.
|
|
#
?
Dec 25, 2023 21:00
|
|
|
extremely funny that the happiest we've seen Whitney probably in the whole show is immediately after getting a massive go-bag full of cash from her dad, financially secure and all issues resolved, playing HORSE with the recipient of her fortuitous wealth. as everyone keeps saying, she has no capacity for self reflection. Ashman taking comedy-workshop-style notes on how to improve his conversation with Whitney was a particularly brutal little detail. actor playing the dad (Corbin Bernsen) is quietly doing some great work in this show; he radiates a vibe of "i'm so wealthy, i don't need to worry about a goddamn thing" but also terrifyingly cutthroat if you cross him. the scene where he tells the bank teller "you don't need to bother counting it" is such an efficient way of conveying that this amount of money, a breezy $40k, is nothing to him.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2023 00:14
|
|
|
I read that there are actual people from the town acting in various roles. The guy who helped with the ATM and the cashier at the same store. Who knows the extent of it, but there's definitely a mixture of professional and non-actors, potentially amateurs off Craigslist too
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2023 03:34
|
|
|
I love this show so much. The improv class scene was incredible, especially how the teacher pretends that it was Asher’s fault, which mirrors the PE class scene. I also really appreciate how focused and tight every scene is. There’s not a line of dialogue that doesn’t have some kind of weight to it, and it never feels like the awkward-pause wheel-spinning that weaker cringe comedy falls back on.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2023 09:05
|
|
|
I assume Dougie having to wrap up the show for the day was his own ploy to avoid interviewing Asher which isn't necessary for the show's new angle, but I didn't get why he was a dick about not getting invited to dinner. That also seems performative of him since in the scheme of things he's doing something cruel to Asher and he knows it and I doubt he cares but I don't get his motive. Or maybe he does care? I don't know. Asher was also a dick to Dougie a few episodes back when Dougie called him in a state of obvious depression wanting to hang out and Asher blew him off. But Dougie hasn't obviously noticed that and he also apologised for bullying Asher as a kid after the fact. Asher is awful but his isolation is painful to see. His notes on how to improve relations with Whitney were excruciating. snoremac fucked around with this message at 11:40 on Dec 26, 2023 |
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2023 11:34
|
|
|
snoremac posted:That also seems performative of him since in the scheme of things he's doing something cruel to Asher and he knows it and I doubt he cares but I don't get his motive. I think this is actually the explanation. To maintain his self-image, Dougie needs Asher to be a bad guy in order to justify presenting him as the town fool. That's why he's switched from trying to mend fences (acknowledging the bullying) to making minor complaints into huge issues (the lack of invitation to Shabbat). Taking every opportunity to perceive someone as a villain is a common subconscious defense against the guilt of treating them poorly. Dougie isn't consciously aware he's doing it, so it's not quite performative, but it is different from how he'd react if he wasn't in the midst of screwing over Asher behind his back.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2023 16:32
|
|
|
snoremac posted:Asher is awful but his isolation is painful to see. His notes on how to improve relations with Whitney were excruciating. I can sympathize with Asher being so in his own head about social interactions that he is accidentally sabotaging himself by overthinking things (he is still awful for other reasons). I remember in my younger days being overly cautious with the ladies because I didn't want to screw anything up or put my self out there too much, and I thought that by just playing it very (very, very, way too) cool I was hedging my bets and guaranteeing at least an ok outcome. I quickly realized this risk assessment was off because, while there were no embarrassing situations of getting rejected, I wasn't having "success" either. "Risking" a little embarrassment greatly increasing your success of a good outcome, but not doing so basically guarantees failure. Hypothetically if Asher were able to use skills from the comedy class and his habit of plotting out his conversations to improve his luck with social skills, could he treat those like training wheels on a bike that are meant to come off one day or would he triple down and become The Rehearsal? I think I know the answer.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2023 17:09
|
|
|
Sir Kodiak posted:I think this is actually the explanation. To maintain his self-image, Dougie needs Asher to be a bad guy in order to justify presenting him as the town fool. That's why he's switched from trying to mend fences (acknowledging the bullying) to making minor complaints into huge issues (the lack of invitation to Shabbat). Taking every opportunity to perceive someone as a villain is a common subconscious defense against the guilt of treating them poorly. Dougie isn't consciously aware he's doing it, so it's not quite performative, but it is different from how he'd react if he wasn't in the midst of screwing over Asher behind his back.
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2023 02:12
|
|
|
definitely looking forward to S2 of The Rehearsal revealing everyone in The Curse as being reluctant beneficiaries of the Fielder method
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2023 06:42
|
|
|
The only thing I knew about The Curse is that it was a satire of HGTV house flipping shows and that Nathan Fielder rules so I recommended it to my elderly mom when she asked for show recommendations because she watches a lot of HGTV house flipping shows, and she was very upset afterward. I just watched the first episode to find out why and lol
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 05:21
|
|
|
I had to take a break after episode 2 with this, then blitzed through the last 5. Pure torture, but so so good. i loved the conversation scene with emma stone and her dad in the car, with it still being a sort of hidden camera show, only to be shot from the car in the next lane.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 11:31
|
|
|
What do you think Asher fiddling with the saran wrap was allegory for
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 20:14
|
|
|
This felt like the most entertaining episode so far, uncomfortable/cringe/stressful from start to finish dougie breaking down crying asking nala to curse him, presumably so he could prove to himself his wife dying was because he was cursed or something, was a great scene. Whitney’s inability to pick up Cara’s subtext is great, emma stone is killing it as whit gets progressively more unlikable srypher fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Dec 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 07:02
|
|
|
Yeah, this one was really good. I think it's my favorite so far. I loved Cara's big scene at the end. My god. And also gently caress I was so anxious every time Dougie and Asher were in the car. It's like Chekov's Drunk Driving Accident at this point. I didn't catch any 4th wall breaking stuff this time. Did I miss anything?
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 08:25
|
|
|
The Cut of Your Jib fucked around with this message at 10:41 on Dec 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 09:25
|
|
|
I love that Whitney's increasing shamelessness about getting what she wants without any regard for how it affects the people she's interacting with (or what they actually think of her) is totally working for her. Got the footage, got the signoff for the art she wants to feature, got the Native co-sign for her show, and all she had to do is buy Cara's soul and stay blissfully oblivious to the fact they're not really friends Based on her willingness to downsize Asher's role in the show and go back on the deal they had with Fernando, I'm excited to see just how big a monster she's able to become in the final couple of episodes
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 09:39
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 14:14
|
|
|
Man the directing of this show is really something else. When Whitney came to visit Cara (?) at that diner, you first only see her in the reflective surface. And the moment you would see her, someone conveniently walks in front of her first. It was kind of surreal. Can someone make a gif of that? cant cook creole bream fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Dec 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 16:23
|
|
|
After last nights episode I’m thinking maybe the casino hires some people to rough up Asher for whistleblowing, Whitney ends up dead in the exchange, the lines Dougie had Asher record are used to make him look guilty, and the final episode titled Green Queen is a crime documentary about a jealous husband ordering a hit on his wife
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 16:52
|
|
|
srypher posted:After last nights episode I’m thinking maybe the casino hires some people to rough up Asher for whistleblowing, Whitney ends up dead in the exchange, the lines Dougie had Asher record are used to make him look guilty, and the final episode titled Green Queen is a crime documentary about a jealous husband ordering a hit on his wife They could definitely cut together a misleading montage of Whitney flirting with other men. Although the stuff Dougie was needling Asher about in the interview doesn't exactly jibe with "jealous husband" very well.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 16:58
|
|
|
cant cook creole bream posted:Man the directing of this show is really something else. a little camera shake got through editing. I stabilized it a little so it loops better but, I'm not so sure about this director anymore. The Cut of Your Jib fucked around with this message at 17:09 on Dec 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 17:07
|
|
|
Thanks. I honestly can't even describe why that shot feels so weird to me. Maybe it's supposed to show how Whitney is a fake person who we only really see in reflections. But the random people walking in front at that time are definitely planned. Like, you see Whitney in the reflection and she gets closer. You mostly focus on her and your brain ignores the random bystanders. But then she stands right next to them and they turn in that direction and for a split second my brain wonders why she doesn't show up in the real world. cant cook creole bream fucked around with this message at 17:13 on Dec 29, 2023 |
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 17:11
|
|
|
just watching ep7 now and uguhgguhughuguhughu Whitney manipulating Cara is so grosss
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 17:18
|
|
|
Yeah, it's unsettling. Kind of a David Lynch shot. There's been buildup to condition you to look for the characters in glass and get tense, not just reflections--remember the argument where the camera is inside the lady's house looking out, reflections in the jeans store window every time and you know it's going to be weird. Probably more. I'd say it's more of a distorted lens thing, what with HGTV and Instagram scene, etc., adding to the effect I guess Brett is a little too good-natured, but I expected him at the party to reference Two-Spirits and Whitney co-opt it/relate heavily, but that might be a little too on the nose for this show. Maybe better that Whitney just kept saying 'that's beautiful' until Cara had her monologue.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 17:32
|
|
|
Whitney's mock impression of Asher......amazing. Emma Stone is great.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 17:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 2, 2024 00:01 |
|
|
Brett is my new favourite character, maybe because he is the only vector for humor left in this show as it descends into pure horror.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 23:23
|
|
